Oh My Dog!

Last week brought in a bunch of postcards – thank you, everyone, for your hard work! The giveaway ended last night at 5 PM EST. There were a total of 10 entries, and I used random.org to determine the winners. And now, drumroll please!

The first winner:

Comment #3! Annemieke, congratulations! You win the Seventh Generation pet-safe cleaning products. I just know you will love them. Drop me a line at info@maggiemarton.com with your address, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the products!

The second winner:

Comment #8! Cari, congratulations! You win the PawSafe pet-safe cleaning product prize! Email me your address to info@maggiemarton.com, and I’ll get the prize right out to you!

If for some reason either one of the prizes goes unclaimed by next Tuesday, 8 AM EST, I’ll hold another drawing. For those of you who didn’t win, don’t worry! I have a handful of giveaways lined up for the summer.

Update on the Campaign to End BSL: Operation Denver

• I’ve received $135 in donations, which will pay for more than 500 postcards! Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
• Speaking of postcards, in the first two weeks, I’ve received nearly 30! Very exciting! Keep spreading the word through your networks!! Also, if you’re on Facebook, Oh My Dog! finally has a page!! Please become a fan and encourage your pet-friendly networks to create postcards, too!
• And the campaign has been featured by organizations I greatly admire, and I am incredibly honored: Best Friends, Stop BSL, KC Dog Blog, and Scratchings & Sniffings.
• Thanks to everyone for your support, encouragement, Facebook “liking,” and #endBSL tweeting! We are definitely getting there! Let’s keep up the momentum!
• I’ve been adding links to the End BSL Link Library. If you have one to add, please leave me a comment!

Some Campaign FAQs

Over the last two weeks, I’ve received a handful of questions more than once, so I wanted to go ahead and address those today! Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions than what I’ve covered here!

1. Do you have to live in Denver to participate?
   Absolutely not! In fact, putting a national voice to this campaign is even more crucial as Mayor Hickenlooper will be running for governor of Colorado. It’s urgent that we provide a voice for the dogs and dog owners before he gets to state level! (That being said, the state is opposed to any BSL, and even if he wins as governor, the citizens of Colorado would not support state-wide BSL. Hmm.. Perhaps that’s a great point to make in our postcards!! )
2. Can you send more than one?
   Yes, yes, yes! Send as many as you would like!
3. I want to craft mine. Can I send it in the mail?
   Of course! In fact, I’m really excited because someone emailed me to say she’s creating hers in watercolor. I can’t wait to see those! In order to make the biggest splash in Denver, though, all the postcards will be sent at once. So if you’re going to handcraft your postcard, simply email me at operationdenver@gmail.com to get my mailing address!
4. Is there a Mac version of the template?
   There is now, thanks to Emily on Facebook! You can grab it here MacPostcard-TemplateMac, and it’s going on the main campaign tab, too.
5. What’s going on with the donations?
   It’s going to cost just over $0.20 per postcard to print and mail. The donations are to offset the cost of the printing! If I end up with more than the cost of printing, the remaining sum will be donated to a rescue. One fabulous postcard creator suggested Colorado Pit Bull Rescue, which seems like a great fit!

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me! And keep those postcards coming in to operationdenver@gmail.com!

Thank you so, so much to every single one of you – this is a community effort, and I know we can make it happen!

An awesome postcard created by my wonderful mother in law!

When the Campaign to End BSL launched last week, I received a bunch of postcards and donations – $105 in total! – within the first few days. To keep that momentum going, I’ll be holding giveaways to entice everyone to keep submitting! But before we get to that, a couple updates:

• I’m posting updates and postcards to the Facebook page. Head on over there and click “like” to keep receiving up-to-the-minute updates!
• The End BSL link library is up and running HERE. If you have a blog post to add, please leave the link in the comments!

And now for the giveaways!! As you may already know, I love to clean, and I love having a clean, picked-up house. But with Emmett and Lucas, I’m always concerned about the cleaning products that I use. (Is it just my dogs who lick every single thing in sight?) So when I had the opportunity to test out two different lines of cleaning products that are non only pet-safe, but are also eco-friendly, I couldn’t have been more excited!

Seventh Generation

I’m slightly obsessed with Seventh Generation. I use a ton of their products – trash bags, laundry detergent, dish soap – and when they reached out to ask if I wanted to try out their new EPA registered disinfectants, I was beyond excited. The disinfectants are thyme-based, so they’re really pet-safe and gentle. Plus, they smell divine. I tested out the wipes in the car, which is a real trial because the backseat is usually covered in fur and drool, and they got the job done. The kitchen and bathroom cleaners, too, cleaned really well and left those rooms smelling like thyme. And, lastly, Seventh Generation is an amazing company with an impressive corporate responsibility mission. I will continue to obsess over and purchase their products because I know my money is supporting an admirable organization. Check them out; I think you’ll fall in love, too!

PawSafe

PawSafe cleaners were, as the name suggests, created especially for pet owners. The products are both pet- and kid-safe, and there’s even a cleaner specifically for toys that dogs and kids tend to shove in their mouths. When they sent me the box to test out, the first thing I tried was the window cleaner. Lucas tends to spend his days peering out all the windows in our house, and they’re all covered in noseprints, which are really tough to get off after they’ve dried. With a little elbow grease, the PawSafe window cleaner got all the prints off all the windows. The best part is, unlike chemical-based cleaners, I felt confident that the next time Lucas smooshed his face against the window, he wouldn’t be getting anything toxic up his nose. Also, I felt that the ingredients were safe enough to use outside on my patio furniture. I avoid using chemicals outdoors because I don’t want them running into my yard where the boys play and doze, but the multi-surface cleaner worked and worked safely.

And now for the giveaway! Both Seventh Generation and PawSafe so generously offered to giveaway a product sample to a reader! Here’s how to enter:

• I will use random.org to select two winners – one for each product!
• To enter to win, there’s a little catch: You need to either create an End BSL postcard or tweet with the official #endBSL hashtag!
• After you’ve submitted a postcard or tweeted, come back here to leave a comment that you did so – the winner will be drawn from the comments, so this is an important step!! (If you’ve already created a postcard or tweeted, you can either do another one or just leave a comment to be entered to win.)
• The contest starts today and runs until 5 PM EST on Monday, May 31, giving you a week to get tweeting and creating!

Note: Every Tuesday during the Campaign to End BSL: Operation Denver, I will write about BSL and related issues and provide a campaign status update. I’ll also link to other bloggers who do the same! And just as a reminder, the official hashtag is #endBSL.

Emmett, my inspiration

So now that the Campaign to End BSL: Operation Denver is underway, let’s take a step back to think about exactly why it’s so important to stop any breed-discriminatory legislation. In my opinion, here are the three most important reasons that BSL must end:

• While most cities target “pit bulls,” other cities are starting to expand breed bans. For instance, Clarksdale, MS arbitrarily added Rottweilers to their ordinance. As BSL starts to take hold, it will become easier for legislators to tack on additional breeds, further restricting responsible dog owners from owning the dogs they truly love.
• BSL lets irresponsible dog owners off the hook. A neglectful owner who, for example, chains his dog in his backyard will chain his dog regardless of whether it’s a pit bull, a husky, or a Golden Retriever. Dog bites are usually caused by owners who haven’t properly socialized, trained, or contained their dog. The responsibility needs to be on dog owners, not dog breeds.
• And, most importantly, dogs are dying. They’re dying simply for how they look. It’s cruel, and it’s unfair. I stumbled across an image that drove this point home and has made me become even more resolute in this campaign. I debated on whether or not to include the link to this image. I decided to post to it to help drive the severity of the situation and the seriousness behind this campaign. However, I have to warn you: THIS is a very graphic image.

There are a lot of phenomenal bloggers who will be tackling this issue as well, and I’m excited to compile all the links to share. Because, really, education is power. The more we empower people with BSL knowledge, the more likely it is that we’ll effect change.

And now for the campaign update (pause for drum roll):

The postcards are coming in! I’m so, so excited! Amy and Rod from GoPetFriendly.com made a great one with a message from their dogs, Buster and Ty. I’m going to start posting them to the Oh My Dog! blog Facebook page.

And I can’t wait to see YOUR postcard! So get creating, and start encouraging your networks to create postcards, too! We need a total of 10,560 (minus the few that have come in!) and some of you have more Twitter followers than that. I know we can do this. We can get Mayor Hickenlooper’s attention!

Also, I’ve received a total of $50 in donations to offset printing and mailing. That $50 will pay for 500 postcards! Thank you so, so much. When the first donation and the first postcard came in… you guys, I’m not gonna lie, I shed a few tears because I’m so proud of everyone for stepping up to end BSL!

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of this campaign, I have to say a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to you, to all of you, for your insights, ideas, and encouragement. Thanks to everyone who commented, emailed, tweeted, and Facebooked, I was able to refine this campaign to the point where I’m confident that our voices will be heard in Denver!

Because this is going to be the mother of all blog posts, I’ve broken it up into a few different sections. After today, these details will live under the Campaign to End BSL: Operation Denver tab above. That tab will also house the link library for all the posts that are submitted to me – and I’m so, so excited that so many bloggers I admire are jumping in to tackle this issue. If you don’t want to cover BSL on your blog, please feel free to share the link love or tweet with the official hashtag, #endBSL!

One quick note: I want this campaign to be a collaboration, and in that vein, I promise to keep everything completely open and transparent. Any steps I take will be covered here, including full text of any letters and emails sent, as well as costs and fund-raising goals.

So here we go!

The Goal
The objective of Operation Denver is to collect one mile of postcards that will be delivered directly to the Mile High City’s mayor, John W. Hickenlooper. Though the state prohibits municipalities from passing BSL, Denver’s breed ban was sort of grandfathered in, so we’re targeting the city itself.

The Postcards
To meet USPS’ regulations for the cheapest postcard, they have to be 4 x 6″ which means we need to collect 10,560 postcards for them to stretch one mile, end to end! And I know we can do it!

I created a simple template in Microsoft Word with text boxes aligned to meet the post office’s regulations. These postcards can be customized any way you’d like! Get creative! Use images, clip art, text boxes, fonts and colors. If you prefer to use another program (or even make one by hand!), please feel free as long as the measurements adhere to the regulations.

Postcard template in Microsoft Word: Postcard Template

Here’s the postcard I made: Emmett Postcard. Feel free to download the postcard I made and tweak it if that’s easier!

All postcards should be emailed to operationdenver@gmail.com. If you’d prefer to send a handmade card via U.S. Mail, please send an email to operationdenver@gmail.com to get the mailing address!

Images
If you don’t have images to use, use images from the Flickr Creative Commons. The images located HERE only require that you credit the photographer, which you can do with a small text box. HERE is another set designated for noncommercial use, though they still require attribution to the photographer. And, lastly, HERE is a set through Google images, which are all allowed to be reused and modified, though some specify that the photographer must be cited.

Text
We want Denver city officials to know that we’re real people – not just a mass-printed mailing. So please write a heartfelt message to the mayor. Include facts, stats, stories, anecdotes, or even just a simple, “Please repeal Denver’s breed ban.” For solid stats, reference StopBSL, Pit Bull Rescue Central, or Understand-a-Bull. This is a particularly useful fact sheet.

The Cost and Fund-raising Efforts
I set up a PayPal Donation button. All donations will offset printing and mailing costs. It’s going to cost roughly $0.235 per piece. If funds exceeding the final cost are collected, they will be donated to a Colorado bully rescue. I’m researching organizations now, but if anyone has any nominations, please let me know either via comment or via email to operationdenver@gmail.com. Also, I received a fantastic suggestion to create a CafePress store because 10% of all sales would contribute to our efforts. I’m all for this, though if there are any designers out there who want to brainstorm on a logo and slogan, please, please email me!

Social Media and Media Campaign
The official hashtag for this campaign is #endBSL. Use it liberally! Several people wisely suggested choosing a day for blogs and tweets. I commit to writing and tweeting and Facebooking about BSL every Tuesday between now and BlogPaws! I’ve made Tuesday my official campaign day, and I would love for you to join in. I would LOVE to organize a monthly tweetup to occur between now and BlogPaws. I’ve never done that before – any ideas, suggestions, tips, volunteers?

In addition to the Tuesday social media push, I’m going to be writing letters to every organization and personality who might be interested in the cause. I’ll post the letters I write on Tuesdays. So far my list includes: the bully orgs mentioned above, Rescue Ink, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Pinups for Pit Bulls, Victoria Stilwell, Oprah, Ellen, Rachel Ray (a bully owner!), and The Today Show. I also want to reach out to shelters and rescues in and around the Denver area. Please feel free to comment or email with other suggestions!

And, lastly, I’m going to put together press releases to go out to the Denver media. I think we can get a lot of local attention for a mile-long stretch of postcards heading to the mayor’s office!

PHEW! I think that’s it! Every Tuesday I’ll post updates – letters, postcards, fund-raising, anything and everything to do with this campaign. Every Tuesday I’ll tweet with the #endBSL tag and post Facebook status updates. Want to help organize a tweetup? Design a t-shirt logo for the Cafe Press store? Any other ideas or volunteers? Send me an email!

Fire up your networks, everyone! 1 down, 10,559 postcards to go!

Yesterday I wrote about BSL, what it is, why it’s wrong, and my commitment to do something about it.

We’re presented with a unique opportunity. In September, BlogPaws will be held in Denver, a city that has already killed 2,266 dogs as part of their breed ban. BlogPaws is the coming together of hundreds of bloggers, hundreds of writers who are a voice for the animals, hundreds of people determined to be the change.

So here’s what I propose: I want to educate and advocate for the dogs and responsible owners who suffer under BSL.

Let’s use our blogs as the platform to educate people about BSL. I challenge you to write about BSL. Write about how it affects responsible pet owners in cities like Denver. Write about bullies and German Shepherds and Rottweilers who are shining examples of their wonderful breeds. Write about owners making a difference or organizations working to combat BSL. Write and link and tweet and update your status to show that you are a blogger against BSL. I commit to posting links to every blog post that you write. This weekend, I’m working on a redesign to the blog that includes a tab dedicated to BSL-related blog posts, news stories, and useful links. Can I add yours to my list? Let’s make a whole lot of noise about BSL and why it’s discriminatory, unethical, unfounded, and, most importantly, why we won’t stand for it.

But I believe we can do more. I believe we can advocate for the animals and owners affected by BSL.

Denver is known as the mile-high city. One mile is 5,280 feet. I propose that we activate our networks to create 5,280 feet of postcards that show our individual opposition to BSL. That’s 9,052 5×7″ postcards, which I will then mail to the Colorado State House. Let’s flood them with postcards that give a voice to the animals and owners who are suffering under the breed ban.

So that’s the idea. Here’s how I see it working – but please, please weigh in! I want this to be a collaboration.

I will create a series of templates that anyone can download and use. The templates will ensure that the postcards meet USPS’ requirements. But everyone can exercise their creativity to make the cards unique. Put pictures of bullies and Shepherds and Akitas on the front, and write a personal note about why you think Denver should repeal their breed ban. Include stats, anecdotes, heartfelt messages supporting the victims of this legislation. After the cards are created, I will collect them either via email or U.S. Mail. I’ll bring the whole mile-long chain of postcards to BlogPaws – maybe we can even display them in one of the conference rooms! Then, once BlogPaws ends, the whole shebang will be mailed all together, all at once to the State House to show in a loud, vibrant, visual way that we are opposed to BSL and that we support these breeds and their responsible owners.

I’m going to work on the changes to the site over the weekend and work out several of the logistical details. Expect to see the full “how to” of it all on Monday! In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Will you commit to creating a postcard? To activating your network to create postcards? How about tackling BSL on your own blog?

When I first wrote about BlogPaws in Denver, I left out some crucial details in my haste to get something, anything written. So let’s start at the beginning…

BSL is the acronym for breed-specific legislation. BSL frequently targets pit bulls and dogs that resemble pit bulls. BSL laws range from restrictions on pit bull owners (like requiring additional liability insurance, or their pit bulls to be microchipped, to wear muzzles, or to be spayed/neutered) to outright breed bans whereby people are prevented from owning dogs with a certain appearance.While pit bulls are the most common targets, in some areas of the country the laws include German Shepherds, Dobermans, Akitas, Presa Canarios, even St. Bernards.

Breed-specific legislation should not be supported by responsible dog owners and definitely should not be supported by those of us who are deeply concerned with animal welfare.

Because here’s the thing: BSL doesn’t even work. Since we’re going to Denver, let’s use that city as an example. Denver’s BSL law started in 1989, had 2 brief non-enforcement periods, then resumed in 2005. Since 2005 Denver has killed 2,266 dogs identified – or, frequently, misidentified – as pit bulls. (Want to know how hard breed ID is? Take this test to see how you do!)

There is a huge cost associated with enacting and enforcing a breed ban. For example, Denver currently faces several lawsuits. The plaintiffs are disabled and had their service dogs seized – in one case, the dog wasn’t even a pit bull. And those aren’t the only lawsuits; there are at least 5 others that are costing taxpayers thousands of dollars, despite Denver’s $160 million budget shortfall.

Beyond the cost, BSL fails to improve public safety. Sadly, dog bites still occur. Here’s a quick run-down of some bites in Denver if you’re interested in further reading.

The reality is that BSL fails to protect public safety. It’s costly, inefficient, and ineffective. And it’s unethical. The bottom line? BSL punishes dogs instead of irresponsible owners. In fact, it gets bad owners off the hook. And the dogs are the ones who are suffering.

But I have to be totally honest: Until I adopted Emmett, my bully ambassador, I had never heard of breed-specific legislation. My Emmett is the sweetest dog you will ever meet – he loves absolutely everyone, he snuggles with anyone who makes eye contact with him, he’s a therapy dog who thrives in an environment filled with loud, noisy children who just need a little love. And he does love them. He waggles, cuddles, performs tricks, and gives high-fives until he can barely lift his arm. But I’m constantly questioned, “Is that a pit bull?” “Does he bite?” The worst one we ever got, “He’s a pit bull, right? So are you going to put him down when you have children?” While this discussion isn’t about me and it isn’t about Emmett, it’s about all the dogs like Emmett who are wonderful, one-of-a-kind dogs who want nothing more than to make people happy. And yet people want dogs like Emmett to be euthanized. Why? Because of how he looks? It’s unjust and intolerant.

I’m so happy we’re having this discussion. I’d love to know what you think about BSL, what your experiences have been, or – most especially – stories about bully ambassadors you’ve encountered!

I’m breaking this into two posts because, well, it got a little long. Tomorrow, I’m going to write about the ideas I have for how we – pet bloggers, dog lovers, animal advocates – can make sure that the voices of these dogs are heard, loud and clear, and how I think it ties in to BlogPaws West. But for today, I’m going to leave you with a little bully love with one of the best music videos ever!

Earlier this month, BlogPaws announced a second conference for 2010, this one in Denver. The first conference, held in Columbus, Ohio, was amazing. Beyond the useful panel discussions and inspiring keynote speeches, I made lots of new blogging friends, which was completely invaluable. And I really want to go to BlogPaws in Denver.

Except.

I’m a little sensitive about BSL issues, and I work very hard with different organizations to combat bully misconceptions. Sadly, Ohio is one of the worst states in the country for BSL, so I was unable to bring Emmett, my sweet therapy dog/bully mix, to BlogPaws.

When I heard that BlogPaws West is held in Denver, I was appalled. Denver enacted BSL in 2005. According to KC Dog Blog, Denver has killed 1,600 pit bulls since 2005 – but as recently as last October city officials admitted that they’re not sure if the ban is even working.

I’m struggling. Should 100s of pet owners, bloggers, advocates, and people striving to “be the change” pour their money into the hotels and restaurants of Denver? I don’t think so. Animal advocates should be responsible for actually practicing what they preach, right?

So I’m torn. I loved BlogPaws, absolutely loved it. And yet.

What do you think? Is anyone else concerned about their choice of location? Will it affect your decision of whether or not to attend?

Go Colts! (fuzzy camera phone pic)

Coming into the weekend, all our plans have changed! We were supposed to fly into Baltimore to meet our new nephew, but we heard they’re getting a little snow, so we’re rescheduling our flights. That freed up Saturday and Sunday so we can watch the Colts win the Super Bowl while snuggling Emmett and Lucas (better pics of their Colts apparel to come on Sunday)! Then, Emmett and I were supposed to spend the morning visiting three kindergarten classes, but due to inclement weather here, schools are closed, so that was canceled. And I had one appointment this afternoon, and it seems that might be off too. Which means we now have three full unscheduled days!

I think we’ll be setting up our indoor agility course in the basement to get the boys some exercise while it’s icy out. In the meantime, while they’re snuggled in bed snoring away, I’m catching up on lots of dog blogs! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week:

From Dolittler: BSL is a bitch… until a judge says otherwise

From Smart Dog U (I’ll be working on this with Lucas this weekend!): Simple Way to Get (and Keep) Your Dog’s Attention

From Pawcurious: Meep Meep, a post about counter surfing

I also recorded Animal Planet Investigates Dog Fighting, but have yet to decide if I should actually watch it or not.

How about you? Weekend plans? Links to share?

Emmett caught mid-yawn!

Dog bites. Not a cheery topic. Same with breed bans, which are inexplicably linked to dog bites. I’ve written a lot about my bully-mix Emmett and some more general bully love and rants (click on the Animal Rights category on the left side for previous posts). And though I’m sure most people who come read this blog (hello!) are of a similar dog-drool-loving mindset, I recently started tracking keywords that lead people to the site… I discovered a surprising number of dog-fight and pit bull related keywords. Hmm.

However, I don’t want to belabor the points (i.e. “pit bull” is an extremely misleading term, pit bulls take the fall for bad, irresponsible owners, etc.) So I thought it would be worthwhile to share some really good info I’ve recently discovered through the internet link-clicking rabbit hole!

2009 Dog Bite Fatalities Final Report: Read this! If only I could get a copy of this to every legislator who feels breed bans are the way to curb dog fights… If you read each incident thoroughly, several trends emerge. Which leads to the next article, also from the same site.

Dog bites vs dog attacks: Great article that goes into the dog bite epidemic (totally different from fatalities) with an awesome list of sources at the end.

Also, some major pit bull rescue love on The Brown Dog Blog, which I only discovered through The 2010 Brody Award page. Which led me to discover

Pinupsforpitbulls.com for which I have fallen madly in love and will be ordering a calendar ASAP!

Those are just a handful I’ve bookmarked in the last week… What about you? Any good links or resources to share?

Emmett snoozes after a hard day's work!

Yesterday, Emmett and I volunteered at Girl Power, an event designed to promote leadership and self-esteem in grils age 9 to 14.  Our booth focused on responsible pet care and animal advocacy. It was an awesome event, and I was incredibly impressed with all the girls who stopped by our booth.

In addition to Emmett, the booth was staffed with a cat and a ferret. Ferrets look an awful lot like chipmunks and squirrels. Emmett loves to chase chipmunks and squirrels. However, Emmett is so incredibly food-motivated that as far as the ferret was concerned, all Emmett really wanted was to eat the ferret’s bowl of food. If I looked away, he tried licking the food bowl through the ferret’s cage. Only once did he perk up as the ferret dashed by, but I diverted his attention and that was that. Same thing with the cat. Mr. Blue the cat was getting Chex Mix as a treat, which Emmett just could not understand. He tried everything to get the cat’s handler to look at him, sitting pretty, wagging his tail, licking his lips, even waving hi at a couple points. The only time he paid the cat any attention was when a little girl accidentally dropped the cat mere inches from Emmett’s face. He lunged a bit then, but can you blame the guy?

The girls who stopped by were excited to pat Emmett, the cat, and the ferret. We’ve done similar events before where, after a good scratching and a few questions about Emmett, the kids would move on. At this event, though, the girls engaged in the booth, asking intelligent questions, and grabbing the literature and bookmarks. Part of the booth included a poster about dog fighting, puppy mills, and Brownie the cat. Some of the girls had seen Brownie on the Today Show, most of the girls easily identified the pit bulls in the anti-dog fighting posters, but almost none of them had heard of puppy mills. The great part about the booth was that these messages were secondary to the fun parts of patting the animals and watching Emmett do tricks, but most of the girls really engaged, looking at the posters, and asking great questions.

After the three-hour round-trip drive and the two hours at the event, Emmett zonked out, though he did perk up when I stopped at the Starbucks drive through and got him a puppy latte, his favorite after-work treat!